Anyone adding crabapples 2018/19 season?

Growing up eating native crabapples (Malus angustifolia) it has been a challenge for me to recognize the less than 2" apple as being a crab. I’m trying to get on board and accept that the world of crabs is larger than my home state of Alabama. There were a few larger selected crabs that was bigger and they were in many back yards and referred to as tame crabapples. To me the taste was the same but was easier to prep for a southern mixture of crabs, salt, and water. These were put into a jar and let sit until they soften and some salt penetrated. Not sure but I think this is a southern thing.

Were they referred to as pickled?

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Calloway Crab on m7 from OGW expected to arrive to me next week.

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Yes. Pickled crabapples

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Craven to my taste is good to eat from the tree.

Based on @Lucky_P post from a while back. Hes only 20 miles north of me so I’m expecting big things from the Calloway crab. :slight_smile:

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I’m planning to graft from an old local crab tree so I don’t have to get help scrambling up the tree to pick some for Sweet Sour Spiced Crabapples. It’s likely from the early to mid 1900’s - part of an old orchard that’s been cattle pasture for many years. But the crab ended up outside the fence near to the road so it’s survived. Pretty yellow/red turning all red when the season is long enough, pleasant tart apple flavor, ~ 1 1/2". It’s larger than any of the many seedling crabs we have on our property (a mix of them in the larger bowl in photo). Unfortunately, when I made the SSS crabs I cooked the nice old large ones too long and they fell apart so I only canned the smaller ones. Turned out good though - made nice gifts. I’ll try the larger ones again next year and for sure will graft from the tree. It’s still going but looking old and worn.

crabapples-sept2018-gf
(mmm, don’t know why the photo is coming in sideways!)

I grafted Centennial, Chestnut and Trailman this year and I think that will be enough lunchboxes for me, along with FrostBite which is maybe larger than lunchbox but still a small apple. I’ve gotten a few apples this year and next, still a small tree, but I really like it. Sue

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Wow! Sue those look amazing!! May be quite a few interested in a stick off that old crab!

Bill where did you get the Craven crabapple?

Though I don’t need any more crabs (or any kind of apple, really), I still ordered a scion of Pipsqueak from Fedco a few weeks ago. (Then, since it seemed silly to pay their shipping for just one scion, I added a Milo Gibson, too.)

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I’ve got a stick of Pipsqueak coming from Fedco too

I ordered a stick of Dolgo from Singing Tree for grafting this spring.

I’m hoping to graft a piece here at home and another on one of the crabapples at work.

Scott